Author: chicagoinquirer

by Stan Choe NEW YORK — A sell-off for stocks is slamming into Wall Street Tuesday after wrapping around the world, as oil prices leap even higher with worries that the widening war with Iran may do more sustained damage to the economy than feared. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6% in midday trading after falling as much as 2.5% in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 840 points, or 1.7%, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% lower. It was just a day ago that U.S. stocks opened with sharp losses, only…

by Bridget Brown, Lorian Belanger and Brian P.D. Hannon Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a drone early Tuesday, as it continued to target areas around the region. Across Iran’s capital, Tehran, explosions rang out overnight as the U.S. and Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes. Iran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighboring Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s oil and natural gas production. The conflict has also spread to Lebanon, where the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate. On Tuesday, the Israeli military…

by Associated Press The president of Iran’s soccer federation says he does not know if the national team can play World Cup matches in the United States following the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment of his country. “What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 as Iran traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by the bombardment. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah…

by Ben Finley WASHINGTON  — Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during the U.S. attacks on Iran, the military announced Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump said could likely lead to more losses in the coming weeks. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when and where they occurred as the Islamic Republic retaliates over the joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel. The post said “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and…

by Josef Federman and David Klepper WASHINGTON  — Israeli and American authorities spent weeks tracking the movements of senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sharing information that allowed the strikes to be carried out in a surprise daylight attack, according to an Israeli military official and a person familiar with the operation. The eventual barrage of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran came so quickly that they were nearly simultaneous — with three strikes in three locations hitting within a single minute — killing Khamenei and some 40 senior figures, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and the…

by James Robson MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United climbed up to third place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Benjamin Sesko’s seventh goal in eight games sealed the win at Old Trafford that moved United above Aston Villa on goal difference. “It feels like a big result,” said United captain Bruno Fernandes, who scored from the penalty spot. At the other end of the standings, Tottenham’s winless run extended to 10 games after a 2-1 loss at Fulham — leaving it mired in a fight to avoid relegation. Nottingham Forest also failed to…

by Moshe Edri A deadly Iranian missile attack has caused a wide swath of damage spreading over several blocks in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. The missile slammed into a synagogue where residents were taking shelter Sunday, killing at least nine people. Mayor Shmuel Greenberg says the synagogue was “very old,” dating back to the city’s establishment as a small development town over 70 years ago. “The synagogue building disappeared and was erased as if it wasn’t there,” he said. B-2 stealth bombers strike Iran’s ballistic missile facilities, US military says by Ben Finley and Courtney Bonnell B-2…

by Jon Gambrell DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  — The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after almost 37 years in power raises paramount questions about the country’s future. The contours of a complex succession process began to take shape the morning after Khamenei’s assassination. Here is what to know: A temporary leadership council assumes duties As outlined in its constitution, Iran on Sunday formed a council to assume leadership duties and govern the country. The council is made up of Iran’s sitting president, the head of the country’s judiciary and a member of the Guardian Council chosen by…

by Jonathan Landrum Jr. LOS ANGELES  — Viola Davis delivered a powerful speech about self-worth, resilience and collective progress on the 57th NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night, telling the audience that personal and national growth require confronting truth and hardship. “There is no becoming without healing and without a radical acceptance of one’s truth,” Davis said after receiving the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium near Los Angeles. “We either move forward together or not at all.” The Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner reflected on her journey from childhood poverty in Rhode Island to international success,…

by Jon Gambrell, Melanie Lidman, Josh Boak and Eric Tucker DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiwas killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. President Donald Trump announced the death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. State media reported that the 86-year-old was killed in an airstrike targeting his compound in downtown Tehran. Satellite photos from Airbus showed that the site was…